Tuesday, November 9, 2021
The stress response is merely a survival mechanism. Cortisol and adrenaline, chemicals of the stress response, are meant to help you stay alive, when you sense a dangerous, life-threatening situation. But often the stress response is active, all day long. If your stress response is the first at the “scene,” first thing in the morning, it’s hard to stop it once it gets going.
If your life isn’t in danger, then the stress response is not useful. But the good news is that you can catch yourself, and the best time to do that is in the morning. Your home base, your starting point, is the first few minutes of being awake. Do you grab your phone, or turn on the TV? Or can you create a moment to pause, prepare and reset? Your waking moments are the safest and most convenient time to reset your response switch. Rather than allowing the stress response to rev up, respond to the morning with deep appreciation, not hostility.
When the stress response wants to butt in, first thing in the morning, take a hold of it and prioritize comporting your sensibilities. Smile at how ridiculous your so-called problems are. You can train yourself to respond before your mind starts weaving a toxic, disaster story of the day at hand. Start off with a reset this morning, take a step back, and get a hold of your first response to the day. Let the first responder be a peaceful and comported YOU. Greet today as the person you’d like to be – calm, eager, and happy. It’s much better than greeting today as the cranky, edgy first-responder who falsely believes that today is life-threatening. Today isn’t life-threatening – it’s life giving. Be grateful by greeting it with a calm and receptive demeanor.